Ch. 35 - A New Bug: The River God!
Everyone stared at the creek up ahead. They were nervous, but they had no choice—they had to cross the bridge.
Only by crossing could they reach Xilin. The bridge was narrow—no way for a truck to pass, but enough for people on foot.
They stepped onto the bridge. Sun Qian led at the front, Bai Wan and Su Yuening were in the middle, and Wang Jian and his girlfriend, Luo Ya, brought up the rear—still arguing nonstop since they got off the truck.
“Yaya, don’t you still have two of those skulls left? Could you give one back to me?” Wang Jian had been debating whether to ask the whole ride. The skulls he’d dug up from the graveyard had saved his life last time, but he had already used up the only one he kept. Now, headed to the haunted Xilin, he didn’t feel safe at all with nothing left to fall back on.
Luo Ya shot him a frosty look. “You know what kind of man I hate the most? The kind who goes back on his word. You gave it to me—so how dare you ask for it back? Wang Jian, don’t make me start to hate you.”
Wang Jian’s shoulders slumped. “Yaya… I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have to. But I really need something to save my skin.”
Luo Ya looked him up and down, her tone dripping with disdain. “If you need a life-saving item, go earn one yourself. Begging a girl to give you hers? Really? You’ve got some nerve. You’re just a delivery boy, be glad I even bother to be with you.”
Wang Jian’s lips trembled. He had no comeback. After all, his girlfriend worked as a supermarket cashier… it wasn’t exactly nobility either. But he’d fallen for her the first moment he saw her—such a pretty girl! He’d give up anything for her.
Wang Jian tried one last time. “How about this, Yaya, consider this skull a loan, okay? Once this dungeon’s done, I’ll pay you back double. You know me—when have I ever broken a promise to you?”
Luo Ya hesitated, then pulled a skull from her pocket with a reluctant grunt. “Fine. Just remember what you said. Pay me back double. I’m only doing this because we’ve been together so long.”
She handed him the skull, but just then, the bridge gave a little shake. Luo Ya’s grip slipped, and the skull tumbled down.
“Ah!!”
Plop!
Both Luo Ya and Wang Jian looked down in horror as the skull splashed into the river below.
“That was our life-saving item!” Wang Jian’s face turned pale. “Yaya, be more careful!”
“My fault? If you hadn’t asked to borrow it, I wouldn’t have dropped it! Who knew the bridge would wobble like that?!” Luo Ya shot back, her voice sharp as ever.
Wang Jian clenched his jaw. He knew her temper well—there was no use arguing when she got like this.
Then—
Ripples spread through the water. A soft blue glow rose from beneath the surface.
Wang Jian, Luo Ya, and the rest of the group all stared, wide-eyed. A glowing blue light shot up out of the river.
A gentle-looking man with a harmless smile emerged, floating on the water. His eyes were half-closed as he pointed to three skulls floating in front of him and said kindly, “Dear ones, which skull did you drop? Was it this golden skull? Or this silver skull? Or this ordinary, broken skull?”
Everyone’s jaws dropped.
Wha…huh? A river god?!
Where the hell did this river god come from…in a ghost game?!
Luo Ya stood frozen, blinking at the three skulls—then her eyes glinted.
Well… who cares where this thing came from?
“Hehe~ River God, I dropped the broken skull.” Luo Ya put on a sweet smile and answered honestly.
The river god’s smile didn’t waver. He tossed her the beat-up skull and said, “You’re an honest human indeed.”
With that, he and the golden and silver skulls vanished back under the water.
Luo Ya: “…???”
Wang Jian: “……”
Luo Ya just stood there, dumbfounded.
Wait—that’s not how this story’s supposed to go!